


Stargazers

by Dynamic_Ideation



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 22:56:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2709743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dynamic_Ideation/pseuds/Dynamic_Ideation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Flash gifts Iris something special...that connects him to Barry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stargazers

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Although there are several ships I will go down with (Ichabbie, Johnlock, Destiel,etc) this is my first fanfic and my very first completed work of fiction! I'm really excited about it. I welcome any and all feedback, whether compliment or critique! :)
> 
> And of course, I do not claim any ownership or rights to The Flash tv show. It's a wonderful show and I'm just a humble fan!

It was the same as always. It was Jitters' rooftop, long after closing time. The night pressed in around her but she wasn’t worried because she knew he was on his way. She could hear his footfalls coming up behind her; steps that he took at a deliberately human pace so he would not startle her. She peeked over her shoulder.

“So about this kidnapping you prevented,” she began.

“About that,” he said in his animatronic vibrating voice. Cisco and Caitlin had notified him about the Amber Alert that had been put out that evening. A seven-year-old girl, taken just a block away from her home. The Flash had run the car down, apprehended the kidnapper, and returned the girl home all within minutes of getting the call. He hadn't even noticed he'd reached a new level of speed until the gang at Star Labs breathlessly pointed it out.

“You've done some amazing things, super human things...but saving that little girl was truly special.” He simply lowered his head and smiled a humble smile. The kidnapper had not been any sort of metahuman, just human evil. “This is why I want the world to know about you," she continued, "This is why you're indispensable to our society. You could be using your powers for anything else. But you sacrifice yourself for the good of people you've never even met, just because you're capable of doing it. People who will never even truly see you.” the way that I see you, she wanted to say. But even she did not know the man behind the mask. 

“You've trusted me this far. When will you tell me who you really are?”  
He stepped closer to her, very close. She could feel him looming over her, his face close to the nape of her neck, as if he was going to kiss her there, his breath making goosebumps rise on her entire body. 

“My answer is still the same, Iris West.” he said, soft and low, and his voice resonated in her ear. Hearing him say her name shook her to her core.

She felt something rise in her chest, something she couldn't describe. A feeling of light that radiated outward. Who wouldn't be breathless in front of a superhero? She asked herself. But she wouldn't admit she knew that somehow these feelings were more...more than just a simple thrill or adrenaline rush.  
“You want to see the man behind the mask... but seeing would make you question everything you ever thought you knew.”  
“But...what does that mean?”  
She felt his hand on her shoulder. His touch was strong, but gentle. It felt like a brand on her skin, burning, but in a good way. “I have to go.” His hand was gone.  
“Wait-”  
“Thank you for telling my story. Though-”  
“-you wish I wouldn't.” It was a ritual they went through, every time they were in each other's presence.  
“You are special, Iris. Happy birthday.”  
“How did you-?” she turned around to look at him...but of course, he was already gone. In his place was a bouquet of Stargazer lilies. They were her favorite. She picked them up delicately. How could he have known? She thought at she stroked the petals and held them up to her face. 

When she got to the lab she was walking on clouds. She couldn't wait to write a new post about her encounter with the Flash. As much as she wanted to tell anyone who would listen, she would leave out the part about the flowers. It was no one's business, anyway. It was something special between the two of them. Something special...she couldn't shake the feeling that came over her when he was near.  
“I got the scoop.”  
“Of course you did.” Barry was tinkering with some colored flasks. He looked up for a moment, then back down at his work. “nice flowers.”  
“Thanks. A very special guy gave them to me.”  
“I bet. So, how was your big day today?”  
“It was wonderful. I slept in, I haven't done a shred of homework, Eddie surprised me at work, and I got my scoop.”  
“Oh yeah? Tell me about it.” He pulled out a chair for her to sit in.  
“So, The Flash saved this little girl today in record time...” She detailed the entire story to him. “Barry...I think he's going to tell me who he is. Even if he doesn't...I want to find out. I have to know.”  
Barry jumped out of his chair. Iris jumped back, caught off guard that he was on his feet so fast.  
“Iris, are you crazy? You cannot be serious about this! Do you know how dangerous this is?  
“Sometimes you have to take risks to get things done. You know that.”  
"So what exactly are you going to do? Go around asking for the guy's name and address? Are you going to expose his life's story in a blog post? Are you going to go around telling people The Flash is giving you flowers?”  
“But he did give me flowers. My favorites. Somehow he knew.”  
“Do you hear yourself? You sound ridiculous.”  
“...I just can't believe you.”  
“Iris, I can't believe YOU. I want more than anything to be supportive here, but you just keep putting yourself in harm's way. And for what, a few paragraphs in your little online journal?”  
More words were exchanged, some that probably shouldn't have been said.  
“Dammit, today's my birthday. I was having such an amazing day.” she said sadly. He took a deep breath. “I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. We'll go to that sushi place you love.”  
“You can make it up to me by being a friend. Friends believe in each other, even when it seems they're crazy. I just needed you to have some faith in me.” She turned and walked away, fast, before he could see her tears. She stormed out of the lab, ready to be at home. She was tired of having the same argument with him. Barry, of all people. 

When she got home she couldn't find space on the dinner table to set her flowers...because it was covered in Barry's nerdy notes. “Ugh!” she growled, before taking one hand and sweeping it all off. Papers scattered everywhere, mixing and crumpling and floating to the floor. That was uncalled for,she thought. She sighed, and got down to pick everything up. There were endless writings about things she didn't understand; physics, biochemistry, astronomy, with random doodles in the margins. There were files from the cases he was working on. There were junk food wrappers. And there was a receipt. From a nearby florist, dated today. The only purchase was lilies, stargazers. And it hit her; she hadn't specifically told anyone the flowers came from The Flash. 

Her mind echoed back to her 19th birthday; she had been stood up by a guy she thought she was falling for, a “captain of the football team” type. She was heartbroken and feeling lonely, and Barry made it his job to cheer her up.  
Instead of canceling her reservation they had gotten dressed up and he'd taken her out for the fancy dinner. He surprised her with a bouquet of flowers he'd picked up earlier that day. She had gasped at their beauty, and at his thoughtfulness.  
“I'm so lucky to have you.”  
“Thanks,” he said shyly.  
“I'm going to die an old maid.”  
“Are you kidding? There's no universe where that could ever happen.”  
She sighed. “Why can't I find a guy like you, Barry?”  
“Actually-” He had seemed on the verge of telling her something important. He got cut off, because at that moment her “date” had walked in.  
“Iris,” the idiot began, “let me explain.”  
“Wrong, Jason. The first thing out of your mouth should have been an apology. But it doesn't even matter. Save it, because we're done here.”  
“You don't want to hear what I have to say?”  
“Isn't that obvious? Stop wasting my time.” She turned away from him. He stared at her, and it was clear he felt stupid. Vindictive, he looked at Barry.  
“You decided to take him over me, huh? So, this is the one who's obsessed with you.” Iris' eyes nearly popped out of her head. Barry's mouth dropped open. He tried to find something to say, some sort of clever come back, but nothing would come. “She doesn't want you, Bro. Stop chasing her. You're playing yourself.” Iris gasped. Barry turned beet red. Then Iris stood up out of her chair. People were staring but she didn't care.  
“Are you out of your mind? How dare you. Take your pathetic whiny ass and get out of here right now. You lose my number and don't you ever show your face anywhere around us ever again. Find the nearest hole, crawl in, and die.” Captain-of-the-football-team stormed out.  
“Oh my God...I'm so sorry. I don't even know where any of that came from. He knows we don't have those sorts of feelings for each other, that we've never had those feelings for each other, he was just being an asshole, taking his anger out on you.” She sat back down and put her hand on his. “Barry, really. This is not a reflection on you, it's a reflection on how I need to stop dating these dickheads. That one in particular.”  
She remembered the look on his face, how humiliated and miserable he had been.  
“Iris, I'm just gonna go.”  
“You don't have to do that,” she said apologetically.  
“No, I- I want to finish up a few things at the lab. I'll see you at home. Happy birthday.” He left some money on the table and was gone. The flowers he'd given her were Stargazers. "I know how much you love them," he'd said. He remembered.

The door creaked open behind her.  
“Barry.”  
“Listen,” he said in his best I-need-more-than-anything-to-make-this-right-with-you voice, “before you say anything, I-” In that moment she looked at him, and she felt the light begin to grow in the center of her. She could see him. All the pieces fell into place and she understood.  
“It's you,” she said in wonderment. In what world could she have missed it? In an instant all of her memories of him as a best friend came rushing back, colliding with the memories of The Flash and all of his incredible feats. The revelation shook her to her core, again.  
She forgot Eddie existed. In fact, she forgot everyone and everything else. “What?” He was confused, in his typical Barry way. She held up the receipt. He looked horrified. He started stuttering, in his typical Barry way.  
She ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. She pressed her mouth to his, forcing his lips apart. When their tongues touched, it was explosive, and Iris knew this was the realest, truest thing in the world. 

They stayed in that moment, tasting each other, feeling each other in a whole new way. It seemed that they had been entangled there for hours, with time floating lazily by, but it also seemed like mere seconds, because their first kiss was nowhere near log enough. Eventually they both needed to breathe.

He lifted his head for a moment and looked at her, his eyes hooded and somewhat glazed, and kissed her again, in a way that expressed his hunger for her. He rocked her back onto her heels. She clung onto him so she wouldn't fall, but she should have known that know that when he was holding her, it could never happen.  
He never let her fall. Not as The Flash, and most certainly not as Barry Allen.


End file.
